Women of the Gospels: The Woman Caught in Adultery in John 8
- Leah Brix
- Mar 22
- 5 min read
Dear Jesus,
How can I even begin to show you my gratitude for the ocean of mercy you have shown me? Before meeting You, I was one way. Now, I am another. You found me in my darkest moment and led me into the light of The Way.
I knew the laws of Moses. My father is a temple official, but he is a hard man. He taught me the law with a heavy hand. My mother was more gentle towards me, but she died when I was a young girl.
You know my story, Jesus. But it is healing for me to put it into words. When I met Uri in the marketplace, I was drawn to him. For the first time since my mother had died, I felt like someone cared about me. I stopped at his stand every week to buy cucumbers and found myself spending more and more time with him.
I knew he had a wife and young children at home, but I only thought of how he made my heart flutter and my cheeks blush.
It didn’t take long for him to invite me to his small place in the city. I graciously accepted his invitation and spent many nights with him when he came to the city to sell his produce.
We were sleeping soundly when the door burst open, and the temple guards rushed in. As dawn was starting to break, I was pulled from his bed in the darkness.
They drug me by my hair and arms all the way to the temple. The pain of embarrassment outweighing the pain of my naked body being drug through the dirt.
I vomited when I saw the lip curl on the face of Abo the Pharisee. He was ENJOYING my humiliation!
“This is perfect.” He snarled. “We found a trap for that Prophet! We can finally put an end to the riots He has created. If He authorizes the stoning, we will report him to the Romans for criminal wrongdoing! But if He forbids it, we will know that He is false, and we will put Him to death for His outlandish claim. Either way, it will get the Romans off our backs for the ruckus He has caused.”
The temple court was filled with people. You were sitting in the middle of them. The whole room erupted in gasps of horror. I prayed for immediate death. My bare body shook, and the rough support of the temple guard was the only thing that kept me from falling.
I squeezed my eyes shut. I knew what the law said about women in my situation. I hadn’t cared before because I was so desperate to be loved that I couldn’t see past it. But the reality of my circumstance was before me. The death that awaited me was slow and agonizing.
Abo rushed to Your side and demanded, “Teacher. This woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now, in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?”
When the room fell silent, and the silence persisted, I peeked my eyes open to see You engraving the law of Moses deep into the earth.
In the quiet of the room, the thirst for blood became evident. Abo and the other Pharisees persisted with the question. As their chorus became louder and louder, you stood.
“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
I awaited being dragged down to the stoning pit. Instead, silence ensued. I dared to reopen my eyes and found you again writing in the dirt. This time, instead of etching deeply, I saw you writing my sins and the sins of the Pharisees lightly and gently in the dirt.
In their horror at being exposed, I watched them turn and leave one by one. The crowd had backed away in the drama of the morning, and I found myself alone with You.
You glanced at me, blew in the dirt, and erased my sins. Then You stood up and said, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
I choked out, “No one, Lord.”
“Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again.”
I turned, and I ran. I ran, and I cried! I ran to the Pool of Siloam and bathed myself. I emerged and clothed myself. I was reborn. I was a new creation!
How my life has changed! I have a feeling of lightness and peace. My father was very cruel to me after the shame I caused him, but it is as nothing. I have a profound feeling of joy. My life now has so much purpose and meaning.
You are the One I have longed for. You are the One I love and Who loves me unconditionally. You are here, and everything has changed.
With all my love and devotion,
Your daughter.
Dear reader, Thank you for hearing this famous story from John in a new way with me. I hope you are enjoying our series on the Women of the Gospels! As a reminder, this is a work of complete fiction, but hopefully, it gives us new insights into the meaning of the story!
The adulterous woman, while a real historical woman, is also analogous to sinful humanity. We are all in need of mercy!! Yet our accusers demand justice. Perhaps that is what we deserve for our sinfulness, but Our God is a God of great mercy!
St. Thomas Aquinas says that this action signifies that God, in His mercy, is stooping down to assist sinful humanity. He teaches that whenever Jesus stoops down in the Gospel, the action signifies an act of God’s mercy, and whenever he stands up straight, this signifies an act of God’s justice.
According to Moses, the adulterous woman ought to be stoned to death. But that was before Jesus came. This great mercy is only available to us through the Incarnation (God made man). Rejoice, for there is hope for sinners! There is hope for you and me!
Let’s acknowledge our sinfulness this week, especially as we are now in the heart of Lent. If you haven’t made it to confession yet, here’s your invitation! Remember that we are all sinners, but through the grace of the sacrament of confession, we are made as white as snow! What a gift!
Until next time, your sister in Christ,
Leah
*To read the whole story, open your bible to John 8:2-11
Feel free to check out the other stories in our Women of the Gospels series!
Комментарии